A Massachusetts firefighter nearly beat a homeless man to death because the man did not order his food at a taco stand quickly enough.

Joseph Ward, 37, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after police said Ward beat and kicked the homeless man late Sunday night. According to the victim, he was ordering food when another customer, Ward, began yelling at him to hurry up. The two started arguing.

The woman who reported the incident said Ward called the man a “fucking homeless asshole” and began hitting him. Ward threw a bottle at the victim, punched him at least five times, and kicked him several times.

“It was like he was in a zone and he wasn’t going to stop,” said a witness. “I was afraid he was going to kill him.”

Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine and a contributing writer at DeSmogBlog.com. He also hosts the weekly DeSmogCAST and serves as co-host for Ring of Fire on Free Speech TV. His writings have appeared on Alternet, Truthout, and The Huffington Post. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009. Follow him on Twitter @farronbalanced